Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Brooklyn Local: Living in Boerum Hill

By: Melissa Aki

Boerum
Hill
is a small, quaint neighborhood located near downtown Brooklyn. The boundaries
of the neighborhood include Schermerhorn Street to the north, Baltic Street to
the south, and Court Street and 4th Avenue on the west and east
sides, respectively.

The
good thing about living in Boerum Hill is that you have the best of both
worlds. The neighborhood is lively during the day, but at night, there is
minimal noise, save for an ambulance or fire truck going to or coming from the
firehouses and hospitals in the area.

Boerum
Hill has a mix of families and single people and there is always something to
do in the neighborhood. The two main thoroughfares of Boerum Hill are Atlantic
Avenue and Smith Street, both of which are lined with restaurants, boutiques,
coffee shops, and bars. Boerum Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods are also
bike friendly, with many new bike lanes popping up all the time.

Safety
is factor in choosing a neighborhood and in Boerum Hill, there are always
people walking about, even at night, so you will rarely be the only person on
the street. Housing in the neighborhood includes old brownstones which are
mixed in with a few new buildings and high-rise, luxury condos are springing up
in the surrounding areas.

There
are many advantages to living in Boerum Hill. One is being near the Atlantic
Terminal where you have access to pretty much every subway train-N. D, 2, 4,
and many more. The A and G trains are also a few blocks away from the terminal. Another
advantage of living in Boerum Hill is that you are in walking distance of several
other great neighborhoods including Fort Greene, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights,
Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. Each of these neighborhoods is lively and
filled with many dining and entertainment venues including BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The
Atlantic Center Mall, and The
Fulton Mall, which has many new retail developments underway. The new
home of the Brooklyn Nets, the Barclays Center Arena is also
under construction across the street from the Atlantic Terminal.